You’d have to be particularly cynical to deny that the Modi-Trump meeting went off better than what was expected. Ahead of the meeting, there were many who were anxiously predicting that Modi wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to a Trump basking in the afterglow of a mammoth mandate. Modi met Trump when he had announced the “big one”—an across-the-board reciprocal tariff cut.
But at the end of what was a textbook display of tinsel diplomacy, Modi and Trump glided over the biggest bugbears effortlessly, even exuding a genuine desire for consensus rather than point-scoring.
On tariffs, while there was some faux, good-natured jousting from Trump, the joint statement committed the two sides to evolving a mutually exclusive trade deal. This leaves room not just for accommodation but also proves that Trump’s DC doesn’t want to punish Delhi with an all-or-nothing tariff tyranny. It seems that option, at least for now, is reserved for the most flagrant violator of international trade law. China? Maybe.
On the tricky issue of illegal immigration, both India and the United States have resolved to examine the root of the problem. This shows that Modi has managed to convince Trump that discretion is the better part of valour. Why otherwise would Trump have shown exemplary patience and not immediately bracketed India with Mexico? That country, in Trump’s words, doesn’t send their “best” but is “sending people that are bringing lots of problems like drugs, crime”. Could his readiness to take a wide-angle look at the problem even soften his approach to the way Indian illegals are being deported?
On legal immigration, the joint statement has reflected America’s traditional warm embrace of global talent, especially from India, by putting in place “innovative, mutually advantageous and secure mobility frameworks”. This shows that Trump realises that America needs Indian brainiacs to power it in the race to the top against China when it comes to pushing innovation and research and development buttons.
On tackling “regime change” in Bangladesh, for which the opposition in India once targeted Modi for not being alert enough, US President Trump left it to Modi to deal with. This shows that, unlike Biden’s administration, Trump’s managers appreciate India’s stakeholdership in its own backyard. Respect for a partner’s autonomy is key to building a lasting friendship.
Indeed, Trump, in Modi’s presence, distanced himself from his predecessor Biden and his administration’s intrusive approach to pursuing relations with India. Trump called Biden’s approach “gross incompetence”. The genuine desire to regain India’s trust is a healthy sign and was underlined by Trump’s decision to do away with legal fetters on exporting top-of-the-line US arms to India previously only reserved for military alliance partners.
In these ways, Trump has shown that when it comes to India, he is willing to take a more pragmatic view. A more understanding view. Perhaps because, as he himself admits, he’s up against a tougher negotiator in Modi.
